The number of foreign travellers visiting Indonesia plunged by 87.44 percent year-on-year to 160,000 in April, reported the National Agency of Statistics of Indonesia.
Indonesia plans to halt its visa exemption policy for citizens of all countries for one month and expand restrictions for those who have travelled to some of the world's countries hardest hit by the COVID-19 outbreak, in an effort to curb the disease’s spread in the country.
Foreign visitors have warmly welcomed Vietnam’s continued visa exemptions for guests from the UK, France, Germany, Spain, and Italy, saying the policy is good for the country to spur tourism.
The visa exemption policy for citizens of five European countries will expire in the next three months. Whether and when it might be renewed are still open questions, creating a headache for tourists and Vietnamese businesses that serve them.
More than 805,000 visits were made to Vietnam by international tourists in January, a 5.8 percent increase from last month and 12.3 percent surge from the same month last year.
Despite a slight decrease in the number of tourists in 2015, the first time in many years, Vietnam’s non-smoke industry still has a bright future ahead, according to tourism authorities.